


Enemy

by Abandoning_The_Crown



Series: A Jedi and a Purge Trooper [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game)
Genre: Blood and Injury, Bounty Hunters, Fights, Gen, Haxion Brood, Haxion Fight Pit, Minor Violence, Ordo Eris (Star Wars), POV Second Person, Reader is a Purge Trooper
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-13 03:40:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28646937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abandoning_The_Crown/pseuds/Abandoning_The_Crown
Summary: You wanted to ask him why he helped you, but you didn't have enough strength to. You saw it in his gaze, the hesitant, careful curiosity; he must've been asking himself the same thing.
Relationships: Cal Kestis & Reader, Cal Kestis/Reader
Series: A Jedi and a Purge Trooper [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2090337
Comments: 8
Kudos: 35
Collections: SW Happy SIs





	Enemy

**Author's Note:**

> More Purge Trooper reader! Hope you enjoy this one, I had a blast writing it!

Never in your entire life did you get a headache that bad.

With a groan, you pushed yourself up against the wall, leaning most of your weight on your uninjured shoulder. You stilled, and then jerked your arm - a relieved sigh left you when you felt your arm pop, releasing the tension that seemed to buzz inside of your very bones. With that out of the way, you could finally take care of more pressing matters at hand.

Such as getting out of the cell you were currently locked inside of.

You stepped closer to the bars and wrapped your gloved hands around them, doing an experimental tug. Of course, it didn't budge; you dipped your head, grunting when your helmet knocked against the metal, and attempted to look out into the dimly lit hallway. You wondered how many prisoners they managed to capture.

Filthy Haxion Brood. The nerve, to kidnap an Imperial Purge Trooper! What did they think you were, some helpless Bogling? You were a trained murderer, a soldier; the fact that you were overqualified to be a regular bounty was bitter - and so you cursed yourself for letting your guard down, for letting them capture you.

It happened on Zeffo, when you were heading towards the Imperial headquarters. You've been informed of some incident that took place there, and were on your way to provide backup, but you were unfortunate enough to run into a gigantic bounty droid that made haste to knock your unlucky self out cold with one swipe of a large steel fist. You winced at the memory as if it had physically pained you - well, maybe it did, considering the forming bruise on your cheek. The only thought of it was humiliating.

A clang was heard from the neighboring cell - you straightened up, listening intensely into the following silence. "Hey," you called, keeping your voice low, yet loud enough for your supposed neighbor to hear. "Who's there?"

Your stomach did a flip at the sound of growling; you decided against speaking any further, and simply stood, leaning onto the bars of the cell, looking out helplessly into the darkness that lurked further down the spacious corridor.

When you woke up, you found yourself stripped of all weapons - your electrostaff, as well as your blaster and, coincidentally, your comlink, were gone. No means of protecting yourself or contacting the Empire, nothing, _zero_ ; you blew an exhausted sigh through your nose, listening as the sound of it, distorted by the vocoder, echoed throughout the space.

That _scum._ They had no idea who they were up against.

You gathered all courage you could muster and breathed in, slowly.

It was time to make some noise.

"HEY!" you slammed your hands onto the bars, shouting out into the hallway; you were pleasantly surprised to hear your voice come out sharp and irritated, promising of many bad things that were about to unfold if you were not let out right at that moment. Several barks and screeches were heard in reply, echoing you. "Let me out!"

You stepped back and kicked the metal gate as hard as you could, satisfied with how loud your dark boots collided with the bars. The sound was definitely going to draw some attention, if additional growls and whimpers heard from the neighboring rooms were any indication.

You made noise. No one came.

That wasn't supposed to happen.

After some time of slamming against the metal barrier and kicking at the unbending rods, you gave up. At this point, you were just tired and very, _very_ eager to get out - you sank to the floor, bringing your aching hand down on the gate before you...

And it creaked open.

You froze, staring at the now opened passageway in confusion. How'd that happen? You sprang to your feet, making sure to move as quietly as it was physically possible, and made the first, hesitant step into the hallway.

Everything about it screamed 'trap'; you, however, didn't find it in you to remain sitting in the dank, stuffy cell - which was why you moved further, quick and light on your feet, squinting to make out distant shapes of various machinery lining the walls further away.

All of the dozen neighboring cells contained creatures of different shapes and sizes; some were sleeping, others were watching you with hungry, glowing eyes. You stared back as you passed, yet that still sent a chill down your spine. Why were they all here, in captivity? Were they going to be sold off to some backwater planets? As pets, perhaps?

When you stepped into the properly lit area, which happened to be the spacious room at the end of the long hallway, you realized that your visor was, in fact, broken. It was cracked, with pale, spidery marks stretching across the surface and slightly blurring your vision. The usual red tint was gone now, and you willed your eyes to adjust to the unusually colorful display of the world. You weren't too happy about that.

The only thing that you were able to use was a sort of an elevator. It was made of metal and stone, and had only one panel attached to it - outside, on top of that. It was an odd mechanism, outdated but effective nonetheless; you pressed one of the three buttons on the panel, the one with an arrow pointing up, and quickly entered the cylindrical space, barely making it inside when the stone turned, quick and incredibly loud.

You wobbled when the elevator moved, and tilted your helmet to look up, watching as layers of weird-looking rock were replaced by something else, until finally, blinding light flooded your unprotected vision. You hissed at the intensity of it, averting your eyes, but the discomfort was forgotten as soon as your ears picked up the distinctive sound of voices.

A lot of them.

Screaming, crying, yelling, cheering. You stood there, dumbfounded, as the elevator emerged from the ground, and presented your tense form to hundreds - possibly thousands - of people.

Your hand instinctively went behind your back, but found nothing; _damn._ You took a tentative step off the platform, onto the dirty, rusty floor of durasteel, and the crowd roared. They clapped their hands and whistled at you from behind the shimmering red screens protecting them from what looked to be an... arena.

" _There you are, little trooper!_ "

You whipped around at the sound of a smug, obnoxiously loud voice coming from behind you. "What is the meaning of this?!" You barked, fists curling into tight balls.

The large, bright blue hologram of a grinning Umbaran male stared back at you. " _Why, you're my newest fighter, darling!_ " he motioned to you, then clapped his hands in excitement. " _Are you ready to put your infamous Imperial training to the test?_ "

You didn't share his enthusiasm. Not one bit. "Get me out, and perhaps the Empire will spare your pathetic little syndicate!"

" _Oh no, I'm so scared!_ " he cackled, and the crowd laughed along with him. The man placed both hands on his hips, glaring down at you with a satisfied expression on his cybernetically enhanced face. If only he stood before you... you'd rip the cords from his exposed stomach without hesitation. " _That's not how we do things 'round here! You think anyone's coming to take you home? Sorry, but no! For tonight,_ " he spun around, motioning to the screaming audience. " _YOU ARE ALL OURS!_ "

The crowd went crazy, screaming obscenities in Basic and other languages you couldn't understand; you growled, low and thoroughly angered.

You already knew that what he told you was true. _No one would come looking for you._

It immediately started to sink in - the annoying, desperate feeling of dread that caused all of your words get stuck in your throat. You were all alone.

" _But fear not!_ " the cursed Umbaran shouted again, his voice practically drowning out the loud, creepy music blasting from the speakers. " _You will not get bored in here!_ "

Something fell to the ground with a loud clang, right beneath your feet - you immediately scrambled to get it, recognizing the object as your trusty staff. Having your hands around the center of it, one end facing up and the other touching the ground, immediately had a calming effect: you straightened your back, effortlessly twirling the weapon around and pressing the activation button. Bright violet electricity crackled in the air, and the crowd cheered.

You saw movement out of the corner of your eye, and spun around, ready to attack.

" _Ugh, finally he arrives!_ "

The voice of your captor went unnoticed as you stared ahead of you, meeting the eyes of a young red-haired humanoid. He wore no armor, and had no visible weapons on his persona; you opened your mouth to call out to him, to ask if he's been kidnapped as well, but you didn't get a chance to. 

" _We had action on how long it would take for you to get here._ " the Umbaran started pacing, and you followed his movements with your eyes, tense and still as a statue.

"And who are you?" the young man asked, annoyance seeping through his tone. You felt the same.

The hologram laughed, ecstatic. " _Who am I? I'm Sorc Tormo, baby! I'm the boss of this operation!_ " he posed dramatically, fully into whatever role he's assigned himself in this show. " _You have Greezy Four-Arms to thank for bringing us together._ "

You looked around, hoping to find some sort of an escape route while the two were distracted chatting away; you spied a blocked off entrance, and three large, rusty gates on each side of the rectangular arena. It seemed like you won't be getting out of here anytime soon.

The redhead wasn't impressed with the current situation. "I will." he spoke, narrowing his eyes at the host. You saw a little droid peeking from behind the young man's shoulder. "As soon as we get out of here."

You applauded his confidence, you really did.

Sorc Tormo ignored his remark, and turned to the audience, a proud, self-indulgent smirk stretching at his lips. " _We have a special challenger for you tonight! An enforcer from a bygone era!_ " he threw his hands up with exaggerated excitement. " ** _A Jedi!_** "

Cheers and enthusiastic claps were heard all around; you held your breath, automatically tightening the grip on your staff. The Jedi refused to take his eyes away from you, and you saw him raise his left hand slightly. You slammed the lower end of your staff against the durasteel flooring and, upon seeing the Jedi take a hesitant step forward, shook your head in warning.

" _Let's see what he's got!_ " Sorc paused, looking around for a second before motioning to the Jedi. " _Oh. Somebody get baby his toy._ "

The host was gone; a lightsaber had fallen from above, and the Jedi caught it in his right hand, igniting it immediately; you sighed as the bright blue plasma buzzed to life, illuminating the air around its wielder.

You flexed your fingers on you staff, breathing in and out, calming yourself. The Jedi's attention was back on you, now with renewed purpose. "You want a show?" he hissed through grit teeth, twirling the weapon in his hand and drawing a flaming circle. "I'll give you a show."

He took a step towards you, and you mirrored his movements, ready to fight, but... something stopped you.

That something was a loud screech of rusty gates being opened on your left and right.

You cursed as you dove out of the way before a long, slimy tongue of a gigantic Oggdo could wrap itself around your ankle. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw the Jedi jump to the side, avoiding the sting of three Flame Beetles that seemed more than eager to explode in near proximity.

The Oggdo wasn't very fast, but its defenses made up for it - as you landed hits on its sides, you came to an unpleasant realization that you were doing no damage whatsoever due to the thick shell encasing its body. You suspected that it was lightsaber-resistant, too.

There were a couple of distinctive splatters behind you, and you hissed upon stepping into a puddle of steaming lava-like liquid; you glared at the Jedi as he sliced the last beetle clean into two, but focused your attention back at the creature currently chasing after you.

It lunged, toothy maw snapping when it landed on all fours, green eyes staring back at you with desperate hunger. The moment it drew closer, mouth opening to get its tongue out yet again, you thrust your staff forward, zapping the coarse muscle before it could reach you. The Oggdo croaked, flinching back from the electricity, but the damage wasn't enough to scare it away. You had to think of something else.

When the Jedi jumped into the fight, you had fully expected him to focus on you, push you towards the creature and watch you get mauled; his interference, however, came in form of an attack on the Oggdo itself - you watched the redhead swing his lightsaber a couple of times before lunging out of the way; the gigantic creature roared in distress, three scorched marks burned through the shell on its side.

The Oggdo didn't last long. With you as a distraction, the Jedi managed to land hits to the most sensitive spots on the monster's back and belly, until finally, its tongue came off after a quick, effortless cut of buzzing plasma. The mass of its body sank to the ground and remained motionless, mouth hanging open and eyes staring blankly ahead of itself.

The Jedi turned on you almost as quickly as you had turned on him; before you could lock your weapons in a proper fight, however, the annoying voice of Sorc Tormo blasted through the speakers, thus effectively halting both of you.

" _You got lucky!_ " he said, slightly less amused than he was before. " _But you get the hang of it quick._ "

The Jedi's eyes snapped up for a moment, searching for the hologram in clear irritation. "Maybe you should come down and face me yourself."

The host chuckled. " _I'm too busy counting my credits._ "

You breathed out an exasperated sigh, to which the droid sitting on the red-headed man's back chirped in audible approval. The Jedi glanced back towards you, looking as exhausted as you felt. "I agree," he muttered. "He talks too much."

Two elevators, same as the one you rode to get here, rose up from the ground, and the openings were immediately flooded with different kinds of creatures - you recognized the Zeffonian scazz and a couple of bane back spiders, ones that you've encountered during your brief visit to Kashyyyk. The rest, which consisted of several rat-looking amphibians and two large insects, were a bunch that you didn't think you've seen before.

Thankfully, the Jedi already jumped into the fight, singling out the ones you weren't familiar with; you, on the other hand, immediately went to take care of the spiders, electrocuting them at the point of having them either knocked out into oblivion or simply dead. The one scazz was easy to kill, yet it somehow managed to clasp its teeth around your ankle - you managed to kick it away and end its miserable existence for good.

" _Now that's what I call a fight!_ " you grunted as you briefly ducked down to assess the damage, at this point simply muting the talkative host in your head. The crowd cheered, hungry for more. " _Let's level this thing! Hit 'em with something really nasty!_ "

Enthusiastic shouts came from above, and there was a distinctive sound of gates being pulled open once again.

A startled yelp made its way past your lips when you were tackled to the ground by an enormous Wyyyschokk - its eyes stared straight into yours as it pressed harder, effectively pinning you to the ground with its appendages, fangs chomping on the air close to your covered neck. It was protected, but you weren't sure that the material would resist the spill of venom into it if anything were to happen. With a grunt, you used all of the strength you had in you to push the spider away, finding the task as impossible as moving an entire mountain; you tilted your head, squeezed your eyes shut and, in a moment of desperation, cried out a loud, stressed " _ **Jedi!**_ "

And before you knew it, the weight tumbled off of you with a powerful shove through the Force; you scrambled to your feet, finding the redhead with your eyes - he stood further away, panting, one hand holding his lightsaber and the other raised up in the air, trembling; a rabid, drooling yet already injured Jotaz stumbled right behind him, and you decided against speaking: you simply aimed your activated staff and threw it like a spear, feeling surprised when it actually hit its target. The sharp end buried itself in the blasted creature's eye, and the Jotaz roared, falling onto its back with an impossibly loud thud.

What was it? The enemy of my enemy?

You didn't have time to revel in the stunned, nearly amazed look the Jedi threw your way, despite wanting to very, very badly; with renewed confidence, you rushed towards the blue-skinned Jotaz and planted your boot onto its distorted face, hard. You then made haste to yank your staff out of its skull, pleased to find the creature already dead.

The Jedi didn't waste time on his end - by the time you've turned around, he was already on top of the Wyyyschokk, lightsaber buried inside of its body, tearing right through it and staining the durasteel floor with dark unidentified substance.

The crowd was getting rowdier by the minute, slamming their hands against the protective shields and shouting out pleas for more. More fight, more bloodshed; you wanted nothing more than to just wipe out this entire syndicate with a blaster cannon. Breathing heavily, you stood in the middle of the arena, chest heaving as you leaned onto your staff for support - blood pumped in your veins, body screaming at you to sit down and rest, and mind suggesting that the fighting was far from over.

The Jedi wandered closer, but you saw no ill intent in the way he moved towards you; he wiped at his face, lips parted and eyes staring straight at you.

You wanted to ask him why he helped you, but you didn't have enough strength to. You saw it in his gaze, the hesitant, careful curiosity; he must've been asking himself the same thing.

" _Aaaand they're all down. Seems like the two enemies have decided to team up after all._ " Sorc Tormo did not sound pleased at all when he spoke again, quieter than before. Was he losing his bets? You breathed out a humorless chuckle. " _But worry not! The best is yet to come... I believe you already know our next challenger._ "

He waited a pause before continuing, this time with much more cheer to his voice: " _The Haxion Brood is gunning for ya!_ "

A loud clang, as if something landed from jumping off the audience level - and indeed, upon turning around, you saw a white-plated bounty droid making its way towards you, arms raised and ready to fire. Anger surged through you upon recognizing the droid as the one that had knocked you out and brought you to this paradise of a place, and, if the Jedi's immediate lunge attack was any indicator, you were safe to say that he had made an unwilling acquaintance with the Haxion Brood property as well.

You, however, did not think that the droid was this huge or agile before. Your brows flew up underneath your helmet when it raised one of its metal limbs and simply _backhanded_ the Jedi so hard that the latter went flying backwards. You saw the tiny droid, the one that's been sitting on the Jedi's shoulder the entire time and provided its owner a stim canister every now and then, fall to the ground with a startled squeak. The bounty droid moved to where the tinier one sat still on the floor, and you decided it was time to act.

You didn't remember ever running so fast. You didn't remember ever risking your hide recklessly for something as insignificant as a tiny tin can, either.

Seems like there was always a first time for everything.

With a strained grunt, you dropped to the ground, swiping the little machine as you slid further, right in between the bounty droid's legs; it managed a monotone "Unforeseen" before turning swiftly around and bringing both of its limbs down. You let go of your staff in favor of wrapping both hands around the BD unit in an unreasonable attempt to protect it from the incoming blow.

What were you thinking? You didn't know. It was most likely the adrenaline talking, making the blood rush to your brain. You ducked down, hoping to take the hit to your shoulder, but the finishing blow never came.

It was as if the time slowed; you saw the Jedi behind the droid, weapon ablaze and face tense, focused. His bright, colorful eyes seemed to burn as he used the Force to slow the enemy - you used it to your advantage, rolling out of the way and even managing to take your staff with you, slinging it over your back in one quick, practiced motion.

The Jedi dropped his hand, and the bounty droid's fists slammed onto the ground, durasteel bending inwards from the impact. That would've definitely shattered your spine, you thought as you sprinted as far away as you could, peering down at the tin can in your hold as you went. The BD unit was unharmed, but it was trembling - you didn't know whether it was from some internal damage done to its systems, or due to the sheer shock it experienced just now.

Your redheaded savior made quick work of the bounty droid, the obvious need to protect his little companion fueling him enough to land deadly blows that were a close match to the enemy's. The droid crumpled to the ground in a heap of shattered plating and yellow sparks.

The audience exploded with applause and thrilled screams; Sorc Tormo huffed into the mic, nearly growling out a displeased: " _What do you mean, incoming?_ "

Before he could even finish speaking, the blocked off gate to the front of the arena shattered upon having the entire weight of a massive luxury yacht land atop of it; you watched in astonishment as the ship docked right inside of the arena, boldly claiming the entrance. " _It's the Mantis!_ " came a hysterical shriek from the speakers. " _Blast it!_ "

The Jedi whipped around, finding you with his eyes, and deactivated his lightsaber as he sprinted towards you. He said nothing when he caught your wrist and dragged you towards the Stinger Mantis without a trace of hesitation. Too stunned to say anything, you had no choice but to follow him, your other hand still pressing the little BD unit tightly to your chest.

" _There is no escape!_ " Sorc Tormo yelled after the three of you, furious; the Jedi stepped onto the boarding ramp and hurriedly pulled you along with him, ignoring the host's enraged cries. " _I will chase you across the galaxy if I have to!_ "

The ramp was retracted, and the door closed behind the two of you. The Jedi stumbled into the common area, with you after him, a laugh bubbling in the back of your throat.

He turned towards you, incredulous, but as soon as he saw his little companion fidgeting around and booping along with the quiet, rumbling laughter coming from the inside of your helmet, he relaxed and smiled back. "What're you laughing at?"

You snickered, infinitely amused - the sound of your captor's panicked voice still rang in your ears. "I don't think that Umbaran won any credits tonight."

The Jedi chuckled, shaking his head. "Looks like he didn't."

All three of you went collectively quiet. You stared at the Jedi, while he stared at you, more curious than cautious at this point; you supposed that you have earned a bit of his trust by saving both his and his droid's lives. The BD unit seemed content with resting in your arms, but you still handed it over to its rightful owner, tensing slightly when the Jedi invaded your space and stayed standing there, eyes looking straight into yours, unusually close. You remembered that your visor was shattered, and then there was this feeling.

The feeling of being _seen_.

It was exhilarating; up to this point, you've been nothing more than a faceless soldier. Now, at that very moment, you were someone else. Someone who was dead to the Empire, someone who was no longer confined to anything. _S_ _omeone who was finally noticed_.

Your heart skipped a beat when the red-headed Jedi opened his mouth to say something, anything, suddenly nervous.

"Cal?"

Both of you took a hasty step back from each other, as if you were children, caught doing something you weren't supposed to. You spied a soft flush on the Jedi's cheeks when he hurriedly turned away from you to face the woman that had just walked in.

She gazed at the two of you in a mix or alarm and incredulity. "What's the meaning of this?"

 _Cal,_ you repeated the name in your mind. It suited him.

Your Jedi cleared his throat, quickly regaining his composure. "Cere," he greeted the woman, then motioned to your unmoving form. "It's..."

He paused, looking back at you with a troubled expression on his pale face. A sigh escaped him, and you grinned under your helmet when he spoke again.

"It's a long story."

**Author's Note:**

> Is it bad that I would gladly join the Haxion Brood? Hmmm.  
> Please leave a heart if you liked my work, and have a good day/night/evening, wherever you are in the world! :)


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